Blurb:
Understanding the classical Hero’s Journey greatly complements spiritual growth. Using the Lion King, we’ll explore ten key stages of the Hero’s Journey identified by Joseph Campbell, drawing parallels with Jesus’ own life, death and resurrection.
Full transcript:
Dear friends, you’ve probably heard me reference the Hero’s Journey a million times throughout this podcast. This is because it’s everywhere! Our greatest myths and fairytales are great precisely because they conform to the hero’s journey. This archetypal storyline – brought back into public attention by Joseph Campbell – is the most satisfying plot out there because it is also the most true … true to both the earthly journey and to spiritual one. Each one of us want to embark on the hero’s journey, the journey of real, inner transformation, and the reason we’re drawn to listening to this podcast is because our souls are starving for that call. Hence, today we’re going to deep dive into key stages of the hero’s’ journey, using the storyline of the Lion King to illustrate. I’ll assume that you’ve seen the Lion King at least once before – whether animated or live action – as I won’t be dedicating the usual time to recap the story. Or you could listen on, but with massive spoilers
So… how many stages are there on the hero’s journey? Depends on your interpretation. Some say, 6, some say 16. Irrespective of number, the overall shape of the hero’s journey is essentially the same – something like separation, trial and reunion. Or, growth, death and rebirth. Or in psychological language, moving from the conscious, into the unconscious leading to integration. In my work as a spiritual director, I have found it adequate to plot the hero’s journey across 10 stages. Imagine these plotted out on a circle, with stage 1 being at the top of the circle, and going around like a clock, stage 6 at the very bottom. If you’d like a visual to this, I’ve left a link to a diagram I made in the shownotes and on the website. But in brief the 10 stages are as follows:
- stage 1: the hero starts off at home,
- stage 2: the hero hears a call to adventure,
- stage 3, the hero encounters a threshold guardian
- stage 4, the hero is offered mentors and allies
- stage 5. The hero must move beyond the mentor
- stage 6. the hero fails greatly, overwhelmed by a major challenge
- stage 7. supernatural aid is given to the hero,
- stage 8. the hero is reborn as a stronger hero
- stage 9. the hero overcomes the major challenge
- stage 10. the hero obtains treasure, and returns home to share it with everyone.
This plot sounds familiar right? You’ve seen it across Star Wars, The Matrix, Braveheart, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Hunger Games, Gladiator, Marvel golden era, Moses, Jonah, David and of course the Lion King. Okay, a couple of things before we start: for the sake of consistency, I’ll refer to the hero in today’s hero’s journey as a he, but the same journey applies equally whether we’re male or female. Secondly, while you’ll hear me mention snippet so Jesus’ own hero’s journey at each stage, realise that I’m actually not using his journey to illustrate the hero’s journey – rather it is the other around – it is the hero’s journey hat conforms to Jesus’ journey. Mmm. Jesus is the fulfilment and perfection of every Hero’s Journey, something I presented all the way back in episode 2, for those interested. Let’s now journey through each of the 10 stages in order. As we do, notice what moves you, for it may just be your soul telling you something important.
Stage 1. the hero starts off at home: Every hero’s journey begins in a place of comfort and security. It is usually a literal home, though it could just be an environment which exudes familiarity, such as a mundane job, a stagnant relationship or, in the spiritual life, a familiar way of praying. Stage one is the hobbits in the Shire, surrounded by creature comforts. It is Harry Potter raised in the land of muggles. It is Jesus living the first thirty years of his life obscured in Nazareth. Note that starting off at home is not a bad thing perse, for it is where we all must begin. But the whole point of the hero’s journey is that the hero is called to transcend the familiar, and to do that must involves risk, a sacrifice, an adventure. This is why the hero will often feel a sort of holy discontent, that there is more to life than this.
In the Lion King, this stage of ‘the hero starting off at home’ is manifested when we first meet Simba as an innocent mollycoddled cub, safe in Pride Rock, in the presence of the lionesses and his best friend Nala. Note that every hero’s journey must begin in the realm of mother (who archetypally denotes home and safety). However, if the hero stays there, never heeding the call to leave the domain of safety, growth is violently stunted. This is why the devouring mother characters, like Mother Gothel in Rapunzel, is particularly evil.
“Stage 2: the Call to Adventure. At some point, there is a visitation from outside the home, that acts to draw the hero out … or at least shake him up out of his mundaneness. It is Hagrid coming to Harry and telling him he’s a wizard, Morpheus telling Neo to follow the white rabbit or Obi Wan suddenly appearing and offering a chance to rescue Leia. It is God the Father at Jesus baptism, commissioning him to leave Nazareth and begin his mission. Whatever form it takes, the call to adventure comes from beyond the home, calling the hero on somewhere further, newer or deeper.
In the Lion King, this happens when Mufasa takes Simba out that first morning in order to show him the world, and to tell him that there was more to life than childish games, that one day he would be king and rule over all the pride lands. Confused at first, Simba agrees, and when he later sings ‘oh I just I can’t wait to be king’ he is fully embracing the call to adventure… “
Stage 3: Encounter with the Threshold Guardian. So let’s say the hero heeds the call and makes to set out on the path of his adventure. However, right at the threshold between home and adventure, he encounters what is known as the threshold guardian. It is the obstacle or thing that tries to get him to doubt his call, to turn around and to go home. It comes in the form of Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen begging Luke to stay on the farm. It is the bridge keeper troll or the devious sphinx, that exist purely to test the mettle of the hero, not to stop him. It is the mini bosses in Mario world, that tries to prevent Mario from advancing to the next levels. It is Satan himself right at the beginning of Jesus’ journey, who tests him in the wilderness right after Jesus hears his father’s call to leave Nazareth. Sadly, 90% of heroes never make it past the first threshold guardian. They are intimidated by him and return home with their tail between their legs.
Within the Lion King, there are multiple examples of threshold guardians, but the more obvious one is Zazu the dodo, who tries his best to literally push Simba back home and away from the perils of the wider world. Similarly, a lifelong threshold guardian for Simba is Uncle Scar, who seeks to thwart Simba’s journey to royalty before he even gets started. Dear friends, might I suggest that the reason that most of us fail to pick up a new habit or break an old one is because we underestimate the threshold guardian. Even with zealous resolutions, we are too easily convinced to return to Egypt, rather than venture into the wilderness of peril and promise
Stage 4: The hero is given mentor and allies. Having pushed past the threshold guardian, the hero has proven his determination to follow the call, and he is thusly rewarded with mentors and sometimes even allies. Mentors come in many shapes and forms: Mr Miyagi, Gandalf, Morpheus, Yoda, Master Shifu, Dumbledore, while allies could be who Dory for Marlin in Finding Nemo, Pippin and Merry for Frodo, Trinity for Neo, Leia and Han for Luke. For Jesus this stage was marked by fellowship with John the Baptist, his apostles and of course, God the Father, whom Jesus consulted over and over again throughout his mission. More significantly, this is the stage of the journey most often marked by growth, as the hero learns the necessary skills for his decisive challenge ahead and is ably supported in doing so. This is often the part in movies where there is a montage of shots with uplifting music to show how much characters like Po has grown into Dragon Warrior.
In the Lion King, this mentoring ally stage is marked by Timon and Pumba, who imbue Simba with a philosophy of life that seemingly allows him to grow past the grief of losing his father. And for a long while, Hanukah Matata works
Stage 5: the hero moves beyond the mentor: Grow as he might through mentorship, at some point, the hero needs to move beyond his mentor, in order to keep growing. In the classical myths, this can be realised by the hero himself, such as Po realising that Shifu’s traditional means of training him couldn’t unleash the inner dragon warrior. Sometimes though, the hero moves beyond the mentor through the literal death of a mentor, as in the case of Obi Wan in Star Wars, or Dumbledore in Harry Potter. A similar motif to all this is that the hero is necessarily separated from his allies, or realises that he must go a path where his friends cannot go – as Frodo did when he left the fellowship behind. This is the case with Jesus in Gethsemane, where he realised he must go on alone to drink the cup no one else could drink. Later upon the cross, Jesus even feels abandoned by his Father.
In the Lion King, Simba undergoes this stage on multiple levels. On one hand, it is the dramatic loss of his father through Scar’s treachery, where Simba must forge his own way forward towards being King. On a smaller note though, Simba realises that the Hakuna Matata philosophy of Timon and Pumba could only take him so far. And out in the wilderness, he feels a restlessness stirring within his heart … a call from somewhere much deeper
Stage 6: The abyss / or the great defeat. We now arrive at the bottom of the circle…. Rock bottom if you like. At some point, the hero must epic fail, or meet some sort of rebirth moment, if he is indeed able to complete his quest. This stage flies against the myth of progress that has so contaminated modern thinking, where we assume that growth is always a linear progression from strength to strength. No. Failure, defeat and the abyss is absolutely crucial to true transformation. This is Bruce Wayne, being thrown into Bane’s pit. Its Gandalf plunging into the abyss of Kazad a Dum. It is Luke losing his hand, and nearly his life, to Darth Vade in The Empire Strikes Back. It is Jesus being led through the passion, nailed upon the cross and mocked – the ultimate failure in human history. But hearken ye, dear listener, this is an absolutely crucial stage of the hero’s journey, one that defeats 99% of heroes, where either return home, or simply die. These moments of crisis are also moments of opportunity – and you may be interested to know that in Chinese, the word crisis is actually composited of two words: peril, and opportunity. The hero embraces the opportunity.
In The Lion King, Simba’s abyss / death moment is more subtle, yet critical – it is the moment where he silently slips away from Timon and Pumba and Nala, wandering off into the savannah, defeated, lost and alone. He cries out to the stars “you said you’ve always be there for me, but you’re not.” At this point, he is at this lowest, running away from his home again, and realising the artificial paradise of Timon and Pumba are not enough.
Stage 7: Supernatural Aid is given: Having now being thoroughly tested on his journey, the hero that perseveres through the abyss is always granted supernatural help to aid him on his quest. This can come in many forms – people, angelic helpers or even magical weapons. It is the defeated Thor receiving Mjölnir back after he has proven himself worthy. It is the portal scene in Endgame, where the battered Captain America chooses to fight on, and is suddenly gifted with all the Avenger allies by his side. It is Cinderella, who despite having her only hope to attend the ball literally torn to shreds by her stepsisters, still gives the old beggar woman a cup of milk. Even in defeat, Cinderella is faithful to her call to be courageous and kind, and so the old woman transforms into the fairy godmother – rewarding her with a new gown and pumpkin carriage. In the gospels, Jesus himself receives the aid of the angels in the darkness of Gethsemane, and then later in the stillness of the tomb, the gift of the Spirit breathes new life into him and raises him from the abyss of death.
This equivalent scene in Lion King is rich indeed. Only when Simba is defeated out in the wilderness, that supernatural aid is given him firstly through the eccentric monkey Rafiki, then in the apparition of his father Mufasa, strengthening him to complete his journey as king. I love in the movie version, it is at this point that Simba is given his roar, which is like a Lion King version of the hero’s weapon.
Stage 8: The hero resurrects: Once the hero receives the supernatural boost, he is able to be reborn anew, into the hero he needed to be to complete his quest. Whereas he was previously able to overcome the threshold guardian by his own strength, he cannot rely on this to overcome the abyss, he must get supernatural aid. And as he does, the new hero realises from where his strength truly lies… and a rebirth is often very obvious. It is Gandalf the Grey returning as Gandalf the White. It is Neo the programmer, returning as Neo the One. It is the Easter moment, the resurrection of Jesus, whose resurrected body and abilities were barely recognisable even to his closest followers.
Within the Lion King, this is the moment when Simba, having received the supernatural aid of Mufasa’s spirit, is reborn again as the King of Pride Rock, casting away his old skin as the runaway vagabond. He roars and promptly returns to Pride Rock, to reclaim the kingdom that was rightfully his. Like Jesus!
Stage 9: The hero overcomes the major challenge. In many ways, this is the crowning glory of the hero’s journey, where there is a great showdown between the hero and his adversary, or some other great challenge is overcome. It is the last boss in video games, the grand final game in the competition. It is Luke defeating the death star, Frodo destroying the Ring of Power, or the suitor who wins the heart of his beloved… with the latter being the greatest and scariest quest known to us men LOL. In all these instances, the major challenge that had floored the hero earlier, usually in stage 6 the abyss, is overcome-able with supernatural aid and natural strength working in tandem. Of course, no other climax in literary or actual history can surpass that of Jesus of Nazareth, whose death and resurrection resulted in the conquering of sin, of death and of evil itself. It is the maximal challenge ever to be overcome by any hero – this is what makes the Christian narrative the fulfilment and perfection of every other hero’s journey.
In a unique way, this victory is captured in the Lion King through Simba returning to Pride Rock, challenging Scar, and defeating him. If Scar symbolises the epitome of evil, then Simba defeats him, triumphs over death and restores life to the Pride Lands.
Stage 10: Sharing the treasure with all: A natural and fitting conclusion of the hero’s journey is the distribution of treasure… whether that be the holy grail, the foundation of youth, literal gold and jewels, or some other wisdom that can be poured out upon a community. It is here that it is evident that the hero’s journey is never undergone just for the hero – but for the betterment of all people. Luke blowing up the Death Star saves the galaxy, Frodo destroying the Ring, restores Middle Earth, Moana restoring the Heart of Te fiti saves her island. Jesus’s resurrection does not just restore him, but all of humanity back to God. As it turns out, eternal life, the greatest treasure, actually lay beyond the greatest dragon, Satan.
In a likewise way, Simba’s hero’s journey resulted in the restoration and redemption of the pride lands – it was never just about himself. And so, it is a fitting end to the movie that we see the inauguration of his own cub, suggesting that the wisdom he had gained from his own journey can now be passed on, and passed down for every generation to come. Amen.
Okay, so there we have it! The Hero’s Journey through the Lion King. I hope today was as insightful as it was satisfying. I want to stress once again that the progression of the hero’s journey denotes both the outer and the inner journey of the hero – this is why it is always relevant to us today, even if you‘re not necessarily going on a literal journey or life changing scenario.
Also, note that the hero’s journey is not necessarily always this linear. What I have found as a spiritual director is that parts of our spiritual life could progresses quite quickly through all the stages, while other parts could well be stuck at one and two stages for years. Hence, it’s helpful to sometimes see the Hero’s Journey more as a map of what is likely to come, than a strict formula you must plough through. If you’d like to read up more on the Hero’s Journey, the most practical, practical pilgrim reflection I can offer you is to read Joseph Campbell’s “The hero with a thousand faces”, which you can easily purchase online as well as a million talks and podcasts on the hero’s journey.
I’ll leave that to you dear hero’s – until next time – journey forth, take care and God bless!
Here is the diagram of Lawrence’s “The Hero’s Journey adapted for Spiritual Direction.” Please do not distribute or duplicate without prior permission